Advertising Outside of an Agency: Retail Displays

Over the course of 15 weeks during my spring semester, I spent every Wednesday and Friday on the fourth floor studio that many people don’t even know exist. In this 1800’s mansion, winding staircases and large fireplaces help give the space in which clothing and the large scale displays alike, life. Taking the ride up the elevator into the art rooms on the fourth floor started my new journey as an intern at Anthropologie in Rittenhouse Square. Getting up early isn’t something I was used to, so pulling myself out of bed at 6am wasn’t something I had done since my senior year of high school. Waking up twice a week quickly became routine, as well as a quick Dunkin Donuts stop on the way to the subway.

I spent 7 hours a day along side of the great women that made up the visual team. Using each other as building blocks, kinks were able to get worked out and everyone merged as a team in order to fulfill any challenges that attempted to stop this fierce team. Seeing people work together in these sort of challenging situations, was definitely fundamental to my learning during my time at Anthropologie. Another important quality in a professional environment I learned is time management. While most of the projects we completed in the studio were fun to do, it was sometimes easy to forget that they were being produced and were on a deadline. It taught me the importance of doing my work in a time effective manner while still remaining proficient and tactful in a way that I would be proud to see on display.

While the internship with Anthropologie was not in the direct advertising field that I am familiar with, I learned a great deal about the significance of retail advertising. While Anthropologie has minimal advertising, inside their store is one of the biggest way to pull in a consumer. Countless days I worked on the floor of Anthropologie, and over heard people talking about the beauty of the designs, taking photos, or asking one of the workers how they were made. Being able to take part in such a large company that can influence a consumer’s decision based on something small, such as pieces of canvas strategically placed together was truly impactful and furthered my creativity in the advertising world.